Cardinale Estate 2015

Cardinale Estate 2015 — Napa Valley

This Cardinale Estate 2015 embodies one of the most prestigious, profound and refined expressions of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. An emblematic cuvée drawn from a selection of great mountain and valley terroirs, Cardinale combines California’s solar richness with precise architecture, luxurious texture and remarkable ageing capacity: cassis, blackberry, blueberry, black plum, black cherry, cedar, graphite, cocoa, blond tobacco, liquorice, sweet spices, violet, black mint, noble earth and a long mineral finish.

Cardinale is one of the great names of Napa Valley, recognised for wines of concentration, elegance and depth, built around Cabernet Sauvignon and a pursuit of balance between power, freshness and refinement. The 2015 vintage, solar, ripe and generous in California, offers here a dense, broad and intensely aromatic wine, where fruit maturity remains carried by noble structure, polished tannins and well-preserved freshness.

Terroir: Napa Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon and Californian grandeur

Napa Valley is among the world’s most renowned regions for Cabernet Sauvignon. Its varied soils, generous sunshine, cool nights and valley and hillside influences make it possible to produce wines that are ripe, structured and concentrated, while retaining fine aromatic freshness.

Cardinale seeks an expression of Cabernet Sauvignon that is broad, deep and balanced, combining Napa richness with the tension of great high-altitude terroirs and the precision of careful ageing. In 2015, vintage ripeness reinforces fruit intensity, velvety texture and palate depth, while the tannic structure maintains length, energy and potential for evolution.

Tasting notes

Appearance: deep purple slowly evolving towards garnet, dense, bright and still very sustained. The colour reflects the concentration of the 2015 vintage, the depth of Cabernet Sauvignon and a gradual evolution towards greater tertiary complexity.

Nose: deep, ripe and highly expressive, with cassis, blackberry, blueberry, black plum, black cherry, ripe black fruits, cedar, graphite, cocoa, blond tobacco, liquorice and sweet spices. With aeration, nuances of violet, mocha, precious woods, black mint, fine leather, noble earth, sweet pepper and light truffle may appear.

Palate: broad, dense, velvety and powerfully structured, with generous black fruit carried by well-integrated freshness. Flavours of cassis, blackberry, plum, blueberry, cedar, graphite, cocoa, tobacco, liquorice and spices unfold with depth, supported by ripe, fine and polished tannins. The finish is long, mineral, spicy and persistent, with an impression of controlled power, elegance and great Californian classicism.

Expression of the 2015 vintage

The 2015 vintage in Napa Valley produced wines that are ripe, concentrated and expressive, often marked by great fruit intensity, rich tannins and generous texture. For great Cabernet Sauvignon, this year offers wines that are powerful, solar and deeply aromatic, capable of gaining complexity with time.

Today, this Cardinale Estate 2015 remains still young in its evolution, but it can already impress through its richness, depth and balance after careful aeration. With time, it will gain complexity around notes of fine leather, tobacco, cocoa, cedar, graphite, truffle, melted spices and noble earth, while preserving the depth of black fruit and the structure of Cabernet Sauvignon.